With a look at some of the top stories making the news today, December 16 across your Caribbean-American community in South Florida, I’m…for CNW 90.
Today’s newscast is brought to you by the Florida Department of Health;
To help stop the spread of COVID-19, The Florida Department of Health in Broward County reminds everyone to practice social distancing, wash your hands often with soap and water and cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
Coming up in the newscast, Jamaican-American nurse gets first shot of COVID-19 vaccine in America, Jamaican nurses say they feel pressured to get vaccine shot and a COVID-19 outbreak reported at Sandals Resort in Grenada.
Now for the news in the detail
As the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine begins across the United States, a Jamaican-American nurse was the first to get the shot in New York. Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, was the first health-care worker to get the vaccine in America. Lindsay’s shot was live-streamed on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s website. The 56-year-old past student of Glenmuir High School in Clarendon said she felt hopeful that the vaccine would mark the end of the pandemic. All across America, health-care workers rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated. In Florida, a 31-year-old nurse at the Tampa General Hospital was the first in the state to receive the vaccine. The drug, developed by Pfizer, was distributed to five hospitals across the state including the Broward Memorial Hospital.
Now for Caribbean News,
In Jamaica, the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) says its members are concerned about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. Health Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton said it is likely that the drug will become available in Jamaica next year. But President of the NAJ, Patsy Edwards-Henry, says healthcare workers feel pressured by the public to take the vaccine first. She says the vaccine should be administered to politicians to build public trust. Prime Minister Andrew Holness along with past prime ministers Bruce Golding and PJ Patterson had previously indicated that they would be willing to take the first vaccine shots.
And in Grenada,
An investigation has been launched to determine if the Sandals All-Inclusive Resort in Grenada breached COVID-19 protocols after a cluster of cases were reported at the resort. Grenada currently has 40 active cases, 38 of which are connected to the hotel which resumed operations in October. Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell says there will be an urgent meet with the owners of the property. Mitchell also announced new COVID restrictions which include restrictions on social gatherings and a 10 PM cut-off time for all business operations.
For more information on these and other stories, visit
CNWNETWORK.com. Remember to pick up this week’s copy of our Caribbean National Weekly at your nearest Caribbean – American outlet.
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